Charles Heavysege (May 2, 1816 – July 14, 1876) was a
Canadian poet and dramatist. He was one of the earliest poets to publish in Canada. He is known for his critically acclaimed play ''Saul''.
[Charles Heavysege]
" ''Gale Encyclopedia of Biography'', Answers.com. Web, March 12, 2011.
Life and writing
Heavysege was born in
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, England. Heavysege left school at 9, to return only briefly later. He emigrated to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
in 1853 where he worked as a
wood carver
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
. In 1860 he became a reporter for the Montreal ''Transcript'', and later for the ''Montreal Daily Witness'', where he eventually became
city editor
A city editor is a title used by a particular section editor of a newspaper. They are responsible for the daily changes of a particular issue of a newspaper that will be released in the coming day. Mostly they stay at the publication at night and t ...
.
[Heavysege, Charles]
" Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Web, March 12, 2011.
As a poet, Heavysege was mainly influenced by "
Milton, Shakespeare, and the ''Bible''."
[Rota Herzberg Lister,]
Heavysege, Charles
" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988), 974.
His first published work was ''The revolt of
Tartarus
In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; grc, , }) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's ''Gorgias'' (), souls are judg ...
'', a poem in six parts, published in two editions: one under his own name in London in 1852, and a second, heavily edited and published anonymously in Montreal, in 1855.
He published ''
Sonnets'' in 1855, ''
Saul
Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...
: a drama in three parts'' in 1857, ''Count Filippo; or, the unequal marriage'' in 1860, ''The Owl'' (an imitation of Poe's "
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myst ...
") and ''The Huntsman'' in 1864, ''The Advocate'' (a prose work) and ''
Jephthah
Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...
's daughter'' in 1865, and ''
'' in 1867.
[
During his lifetime, ''Saul'' was Heavysege's best-known work. ]Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
passed on a copy to the ''North British Review
The ''North British Review'' was a Scottish periodical. It was founded in 1844 to act as the organ of the new Free Church of Scotland, the first editor being David Welsh. It was published until 1871; in the last few years of its existence it had a ...
'',[ where it was given a laudatory (unsigned) review by ]Coventry Patmore
Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore (23 July 1823 – 26 November 1896) was an English poet and literary critic. He is best known for his book of poetry '' The Angel in the House'', a narrative poem about the Victorian ideal of a happy marriage.
...
, who called it "indubitably the best poem ever written out of Great Britain." That was followed by further favorable reviews in the '' Atlantic Monthly'', '' Galaxy'', and ''New York Evening Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established i ...
''. ''Saul'' was published in two further editions, in 1859 (also in Montreal) and 1869 (in Boston).[ (The Boston edition was reprinted in 1876 and again in 1967.) Other admirers of ''Saul'' were Canadian ]Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Sir John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...
and American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...
.[
Heavysege was internationally known by the 1860s and 1870s, paving the way for later Anglo-Canadian poets, including ]Charles Sangster
Charles Sangster (July 16, 1822 – December 9, 1893) was a Canadian poet. He was the first poet to write poetry which was substantially about Canadian subjects. ''The Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' calls him "the best of the pre- confeder ...
and Charles G.D. Roberts.[
W.D. Lighthall, who included Heavysege's work in his 1889 anthology '' Songs of the Great Dominion'', wrote that Heavysege's poetry was not particularly Canadian, and that he didn't have a large readership in Canada. Nonetheless, he declared that Canadian critics "claim him as perhaps their greatest, most original writer." He believed that Heavysege's poetry was worth appreciating and would continue to be popular.][William Douw Lighthall, ]
Songs of the Great Dominion
Voices from the Forests and Waters, the Settlements and Cities of Canada'' (Walter Scott indsor Series 1889), Google Books, Web, April 30, 2011.
However, his reputation declined in later decades; as national pride grew in the 1920s, he was criticized for not really being a "Canadian writer". He continued to be supported by poets W.W.E. Ross, Ralph Gustafson
Ralph Barker Gustafson, CM (16 August 1909 – 29 May 1995) was a Canadian poet and professor at Bishop's University.
Biography
He was born in Lime Ridge, near Dudswell, Quebec on August 16, 1909. His mother was British, his father, Carl ...
, and A.J.M. Smith.[Charles Heavysege]
" ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'', Bookrags.com. Web, March 12, 2011.
In 1956, while dismissing ''Saul'' and ''Count Filippo'' as " Victorian dinosaurs," Canadian literary critic Northrop Frye
Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century.
Frye gained international fame with his first book, '' Fearful Symm ...
acknowledged Heavysege as the "first poet who really came to grips with" what Frye considered to be "the central Canadian tragic theme" (that being "the indifference of nature to human values"): "His third poem, ''Jephthah's Daughter'', seems to me to reflect more directly the influence of his Canadian environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
, as its main themes are loneliness, the indifference of nature, and the conception of God as a force of nature."[Northrop Frye,]
Preface to an Uncollected Anthology
" ''The Bush Garden'' (Toronto: Anansi, 1971), 171.
''Saul'' was produced as a radio drama by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
in 1974. Alan Scarfe
Alan John Scarfe (born 8 June 1946) is a British–Canadian actor, stage director and author. He is a former Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (1976–77) and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool (1967–68). He won the 1985 Genie A ...
performed the title role.[
]
In fiction
Solly Bridgetower, a character in Robertson Davies
William Robertson Davies (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished " men of letters" ...
' The Salterton Trilogy, is an associate professor of English at the fictional Waverley University, and is urged by his department chair, Dr. Sengreen, to stake out a claim in the emerging field of "Amcan" (American-Canadian literature
Canadian literature is the literature of a multicultural country, written in languages including Canadian English, Canadian French, Indigenous languages, and many others such as Canadian Gaelic. Influences on Canadian writers are broad both g ...
) by editing a scholarly edition of Heavysege's collected works, in order to earn tenure
Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...
and make a name for himself ('' Leaven of Malice'', 1954).
Publications
Heaysege published nine works of poetry and prose in his lifetime:[
* ''The revolt of Tartarus''. London, UK: Simpkin, Marshall & Co, 1850. Liverpool, UK: D. Marples, 1850. Montreal, 1855.
* ''Sonnets'' (Montreal: H. & G.M. Rose, 1855)
* ''Saul: a drama'' Montreal: H. Rose, 1857; John Lovell, 1859. Boston: Fields, Osgood, 1869, 1876.][
* ''Count Filippo; or, the unequal marriage''. Montreal: B. Dawson, 1860. Toronto, R.& A. Miller, 1860.
* ''The Owl'' (Montreal, 1864)
* ''The Dark Huntsman (a dream)'' Montreal, "Witness" Steam Print House, 1864. Ottawa: Golden Dog, 1973.
* ''The Advocate''. Toronto, 1865. Montreal: R. Worthington, 1865. A novel.
* ''Jepthtah's Daughter''. London : S. Low, Son, and Marston, 1865., Montreal: H. Dawson, 1865). Reprint, 1983.
* "Jezebel", ''New Dominion Monthly'' (Montreal), 1867. ''Jezebel.'' Ottawa: Golden Dog, 1972.
* ''Saul and Selected Poems'' Toronto, Buffalo: U of Toronto P, 1977.
]
References
External links
*
*
Jepthtah's Daughter
by Charles Heavysege
Saul
by Charles Heavysege
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heavysege, Charles
1816 births
1876 deaths
19th-century Canadian poets
Canadian male poets
Anglophone Quebec people
19th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
English emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec
Sonneteers
People from Huddersfield
19th-century Canadian journalists
Canadian male journalists
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Canadian male writers
Immigrants to the Province of Canada
Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery